Brilliantly uniting the personal and the critical, French Lessons is a powerful autobiographical experiment. It tells the story of an American woman escaping into the French language and of a scholar and teacher coming to grips with her history of learning. Kaplan begins with a distinctly American quest for an imaginary France of the intelligence. But soon her infatuation with all things French comes up against the dark, unimagined recesses of French...

"An award-winning poet shares his . . . approach to helping autistic students find their voices through poetry, in this . . . story of one educator's journey to understand and communicate with his students--and the . . . lessons he learned"--

Embark on a riveting literary journey with "The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count Fathom" by Tobias Smollett. This captivating novel takes readers on a rollicking ride through the 18th-century European landscape, following the exploits of the charming and enigmatic Count Fathom. From the bustling streets of London to the opulent courts of Paris, Count Fathom's daring escapades weave a tapestry of intrigue, deception, and unexpected twists. Born into...

The daughter of literary agent Lynn Nesbit and the late theater drama critic Richard Gilman crafts a beautifully sinuous and intensely literary celebration of the exceptional, unconventional child--her son, Benjamin--and the breakup of her marriage, rejection of an academic career, and move to New York City to work in her mother's literary agency.

"A moving collection of essays on aging and happiness Drawing on more than six decades' worth of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, Willard Spiegelman reflects with candid humor and sophistication on growing old. Senior Moments is a series of discrete essays that, when taken together, constitute the life of a man who, despite Western cultural notions of aging as something to be denied, overcome, and resisted, has continued...

In a captivating and compelling voice that ranks with many of the greatest memoirists, Laura Bush tells the story of her unique path from dusty Midland, Texas, to the world stage as First Lady. She captures presidential life in the frantic and fearful months after 9/11, and humorously lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House.

In Writing Places, William Zinsser-the author of On Writing Well, the bestseller that has inspired two generations of writers, journalists, and students-recalls the many colorful and instructive places where he has worked and taught. Gay Talese, author of A Writer's Life, calls Writing Places, "Wonderful," while the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praises this unique memoir for possessing "all the qualities that Zinsser believes matter most in good writing-clarity,...

Snyder was fired from his job as an English professor then found work as a construction worker.